Middle East Economic Survey

VOL. XLVII

No 34

23-August-2004

Insurgency In Iraq Targets Oil Industry

At MEES press-time on 20 August, the battle for control of the Old Quarter and shrines in the holy city of Najaf was intensifying – amid indications that supporters of the besieged Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr were starting to target the Iraqi oil sector.

On the night of 19-20 August, pro-Sadr militias attacked the headquarters of the South Oil Company (SOC), the main operator in Iraq,...